NH bill to ban transgender girls from girls sports brings out impassioned testimony
CONCORD — A bill to ban transgender athletes in New Hampshire from playing on school sports teams aligning with their gender identity was again met with impassioned testimony on both sides of the aisle Tuesday.
House Bill 1205, sponsored by Louise Andrus, R-Salisbury, would prohibit transgender girls in fifth grade through twelve grade from playing on girls sports teams.
This legislative session, three very similar bills were filed, all classifying themselves as relative to or protecting women’s sports. Senate Bill 524 was killed in the Senate and merged with SB 375, which was recommended for interim study by a House committee, in part, because of how similar it was to HB 1205. On Tuesday, HB 1205 was heard by the Senate Education Committee.
More: Why are there so many bills about gender identity in New Hampshire? Experts weigh in
Andrus said her bill was originally put together by a group of citizens in Newbury known as the Newbury Conservative Coalition. She said the group researched the other states’ laws to form this bill. Currently, over 20 states have bans on transgender youth participation in sports.
Echoing past hearings, testimony heard in the Senate largely fell into two camps: supporters of the bills said it is necessary to promote safety and fairness on the playing field, while opponents said the legislation was discriminatory, unnecessary, and unenforceable.
“One problem, one child, one person getting hurt is too many,” said Rep. Kristine Perez, R-Londonderry, testifying in support of the bill. “There is a biological difference as far as schools are concerned, and sports safety is a huge issue.”
Transgender student athletes Parker Tirrell and Maëlle Jacques, both having testified against these bills several times over the past few months, urged senators to allow them to keep playing the sports they love.
“It is disheartening to see lawmakers pushing for discriminatory measures without taking the time to understand the impact on students like me. Why is my safety any less important than that of my peers?” said Tirrell. “I had a soccer game on Sunday, and I’m a transgender athlete and I got injured. No one else on the team is injured.”
SB 375 was passed by the Senate 14-10 in early April along party lines. While it’s been recommended for interim study, it will still come before the full House for a vote on Thursday. HB 1205 will next head to the Senate floor for a vote at a date not yet determined.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH bill to ban transgender girls from girls sports debated
